Mom was in the Luftwaffe

Mom was born in 1923 in Insterburg East Prussia. She grew up a farmer's daughter. She told me many stories of the War. I became a student of World War Two just to prove her wrong.

According to her, the little town of Insterburg had the first Stuka squadron and the first panzer division.

Her first job was working in a bicycle shop. She lived in a room above the shop. The Ju-87 had sirens on its struts and it was strictly forbidden to dive over German populations.

Pilots will be pilots and to hell with the rules. They repeated dived on the bicycle shop to get her attention and maybe her favor. It got her in trouble. The pilots were in hot water too. About a dozen of them stormed the shop on foot. When they found out that her job was in danger they rented every bike the shop had.

Later that night and long after the bikes were due back they returned. Drunk. Mom was serenaded as she stood in her window begging them to shut up. They left the bicycles in a big pile when they were finished.

Mom was fired.

It was then she joined the Luftwaffe and served as a "Funkerin" a female radio operator. As best as she described it, she was a ground radio operator for the Stukas. I never got the unit from her and still don't know. They operated against the Russians.

She eventually married a pilot and was discharged. He was transferred to Me-109's and was shot down over France.

When Insterburg was evacuated she had become a refugee. The evacuation really pissed her off and decades later she would still rant that they had the troops, weapons and ammunition to defend the city but had to abandon Insterburg because the shells were sabotaged.

I really didn't believe the sabotage part until I saw Schindler's List.

 

Great story before I start commenting the firt things that comes to mind are Major Lignitz, the famous luftwaffe Ace from Insterburg. Aces of the Luftwaffe - Arnold Lignitz and Kurt Plenzat, also from that place. Kurt Plenzat - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia .Both probably flew there one day and might have flown over your mum's shop.

Of course Rudel was also stationned there.

More here about Stukas at Insterburg. Hitler's Stuka Squadrons: The JU 87 ... - Google Recherche de Livres

 

cool story.

you're mother must be very rare female german luftwaffe poilot,hanna reinch was the top female luftwaffe polit ans even she was not aloud to fight first hand combat battles!
You're mother must have sneak out and flew without any officals even knowing that she was in combat.
Very brave of her and tough lady i must add,i know she was fighting for the germans but her heart really thought she was doing the right thing,and that's the main thing.

 

i think your story could be a hollywood blockbuster if it was made the right way

 

Hiedi "Funkerin" is ground crew for radio/ signal operator . This is propaganda poster for a report/news assistant fromt eh Luftwaffe, but the uniforms were the same

 

Thanks Skipper. I was just confussed,he mentioned his mum was shot down ,so i atomatially thought she was in first hand combat battle.
sorry ,i just went back and re -read it and i realised it was her boyfriend that was shot down and not his mum. i am embrassed

Cheers.

 

No problem Hiedi. By the way Walt, any details on the crash in France? Name or date for instance, I might be able to help.

 

Great story, please share more! Thanks!

 

Hi Walt, great story and thanks for sharing it.

I have one photo of an attractive Female in Luftwaffe uniform. This gal was also probable a radio operator or something like that. Anyway, she is wearing her uniform and is adjusting her visored cap. I don't have the ability to post her pic-or I would gladly do o.

 

you might be interested Walt that much of the Wehrmacht origins come from Ost Preussia. my good friend now deceased, Helmuth Reichert told me of many stories of his home of Insteburg, the raising of the unit he served in: 1st Infantrie Divison that first was a Cavalry unit, also the demise of the village/town by the Soviets and what came of it post war.

 

yes walt, fantastic story you have about your mum's past!

 

almost forgot Walt, I./Sturzkamfgeschwader 1 with the Ju 87B was based at Insterburg in 1939

 

You bet. Many have said this. I've been working on a book but have bogged down trying to make sure it's historically accurate.

 

Mom joined in the evacuation of Insterburg. Everyone was trying to get to Konigsberg. Mom had four sisters. Only her mother, Minna and her four year old son, Peter were with her on the road to Konigsberg.

Oma and Mom were arguing. Mom was pissed that her wedding silver was left behind. Mom wanted to go back for it and Oma was all for leaving it behind. They parted ways. Oma and Peter were moving on and Mom was going back.

When Mom got back to the farm the Russians were there. They caught her and threw her in the basement where for the next two months was repeated raped. She survived the ordeal and the Russians left her there. It was there she caught Ruematic Fever. Sick and battered, she made her way to Konigsberg. Oma found her, but by that time the Fever had blinded her. Oma told the story that she restored Mom's eyesight with a home remedy. Raw potato slices on the eyes.

Life in Konigsberg was rough to say the least. Everyone had lice and the insects were called panzers. "How many panzers have you killed today?" In other words, "How many lice have you picked off today?" Along with the refugees, the wounded were collected there as well. Mom volunteered to help nurse the wounded. She had had a sheltered life there on the farm. The extent of the wounds sickened and shocked this young farm girl. At this point I'll spare the reader the specific details. Why did she do this? The wounded were being shipped to Danzig and Mom's volunteer work earned her, her mother and child places on the ship.

The ship was the pocket battleship "Deutschland", also known the the "Scharnhorst". During the voyage she was attacked by allied aircraft. Mom said it was one of the first shuttle missions from England or Italy to Russia. She wasn't sure what kind of bomber they were, but they were Americans. During the attack all the civilians saught shelter below decks. In the panic little Peter was left behind on deck. His lungs were exploded by the concussions and he died. I have a the original death certificate that was issued later. It lists Mom's address as 45 Adolph Hitler Strasse, Berlin. May,1945.

 

His name was Gustav Adolph Mattern. Little is known. I have found out that he survived the shoot down and was not captured. He became French. Married there and lived out his life somewhere in France.

 

This is an exceptional thread Walt313.

She is as much a vetran as any we have seen on here. Your first hand account is difficult to read at times but none the less exceptional for it.

 

if I understand the version correctly you are saying Mom remembers US craft bombing in the Ost when in reality it should of been Soviet, the US shuttle missions were carried out in 1944, but that is ok the m ind plays tricks after so many years; her play is nearly ID to my friends. Helmuth was in Prussia staving off Soviet advances in his Infantrie unit, Ruth was taking her own little Peter in horse carts, running for their lives at night, taking trains which were promptly shot to pieces by IL-2's and the dead children/babies were kissed and left behind in the snows to Königsberg and beyond to places unknown to the west. I have pages to share if anyone else is interested but for the most part Walts relatives story is like in truth as much as kin to his, a story of retreating horror(s).

Any KM vessel not placed in the north for action was sent to the Baltic to retrieve as much of the German civil populace as possible including military-wounded while the Wehrmacht suffered to die in the Ost, even the U-Booten arm was used along with small fishing trawler/vessels

thanks for the continued sharing Walt, small world it is .........

 

Fascinating story. I was sorry to hear your mom was trapped by the Russians when she returned to the farm. I quickly checked for the Mattern name. It is pretty common in France , especially in Alsace. There are even one or two in my home town. However I only found one Gustave Mattern obituary who died in Selestat in 2007 aged 85. (Schlesstadt during the war) I wonder if this could have been the man. I however don' t know whether your mom's boyfriend was Alasacian or Prussian from Isterburg.

 

Hi Walt, I too am sorry toread about the attacks she had to endure by the Russians. I sometimes wish there was a way to change something in History-without reflecting everything to go along with that change.

Best regards--Carl.

 

Where did I leave off? Mom had made it to Berlin. Allied bombing made life miserable. Many people were homeless and she felt really lucky to have an apartment. Days were spent looking for food and nights were spent counting bombs. If you counted the explosions to eight you were safe. She like many of her friends refused to go into the bomb shelters. There were rumors that during the bombings of Dresden the asphalt of the streets had melted and poured into the ventilation shafts of the bomb shelters.

During her time in Berlin she told of a day she and a friend noticed a German soldier with something wrong on his uniform. She turned him in and it was revealed that he was a spy. Mom claims she was awarded the Iron Cross Third Class for this but I have no cross confirmation that civilians were ever decorated.